Finding a Magic Lamp

Finding a Magic Lamp

It's been a while since we've checked in on Pyro and Pete Falkon. Let's see how they're getting along.

Well, that's certainly not good. Pyro is still a mess after cheating on and being dumped by Aralia Rose, and he's been single-mindedly working on his writing as an escape. But Pete is pretty annoyed at Pyro moping around Falkon Towers all the time, especially when Pete wants to get a little Sim action of his own. It's time for Pyro to get out of the house for a bit before Pete tries using his "Detonate This" command on Pyro's laptop or face.

Now, the Falkons live in an old neighborhood -- Riverview, specifically. They've never moved or restarted, even with all the expansions that have been released. This means there are a bunch of new lots that haven't been placed yet, including the venues from Showtime. Pyro needs a little distraction, but he doesn't have to go too far from home. He's heard legends that Genies are now part of the sim world, so he heads out of the house to seek them out.

Even without World Adventures installed, there's an exploration option in every town. Namely, the graveyard: any adult Sim can head there and explore the catacombs for free. Like with conventional jobs, Sims will disappear into these areas; that is, you have no control over it, and the Sim will "disappear" from the world while it's going on. You will occasionally get "chance cards," little pop-up boxes that allow you to select from two choices and possibly gain a reward from doing so. Sims will stay down there until you cancel the command or one of their needs goes critical, so be sure your Sim is well-fed and well-rested before venturing down there.

Now, exploring the catacombs is nothing new; this has been an option since The Sims 3 released originally without any expansions or stuff packs. It had some minor rewards and was a fun diversion from life in the city, but World Adventures and Tomb Raiding largely supplanted it. However, with the release of Showtime, exploring the catacombs may offer you a prize not available while on vacation, especially if you have the Lucky trait.

Of course, it may end in failure, as it does here. Pyro loses his clothes, his ponytail, and his dignity after apparently wandering into a trap. Worse still, he draws an 8-hour debuff called "Horrified" that prevents him from going back down. Pyro just heads over to the spa and gets a relaxing full muscle relaxtion package to kill some time, then heads back down.

Pyro isn't lucky; after four attempts, all he comes out with is a single grape seed. Good news for him though is that the catacombs are not the only way to acquire the magic lamp! He heads home and, after a change of clothes, simply goes into his Lifetime Rewards and just outright buys a magic lamp for 30,000 Lifetime Reward points.